Del. Comstock once again helps defeat bike bill

The Virginia House Transportation Sub Committee 2 today voted 4-3 to defeat SB 264 which would prevent motorists from following more closely than is reasonable. Virginia appears to be the only state where bicyclists are excluded from "following too close" provisions.

McLean Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34th District) once again voted with her Republican colleagues to defeat this bill. She voted earlier to defeat the House version of the bill. One way to voice your displeasure with Del. Comstock's vote is to contact her office.

Del. Comstock also helped defeat the bill that would require motorists to exercise due care around bicyclists and pedestrians. This is the full text of the bill: "Requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle." Virginia is one of only three states without this provision.

Thanks to Virginia Bicycling Federation for following the various bicycle-related bills this year and for attending the many hearings, testifying in favor of several of the bills, and getting the word out to other cyclists.